The TARDIS
by LyricsArePoetry
Summary: A collection of one-shots written from challenges on the Doctor Who Forum 'The TARDIS', various Doctors and pairings, rated to be safe but will vary from K-T never higher.
1. Stopping for Socks

**Ok, so basically I'm stealing this general idea from TheChibi'sAreStalkingMe but rather than putting all my Doctor Who one-shots into one story, it's just going to be the ones written because of the TARDIS Forum, because there's bound to be a lot over the months and years and stuff. So I thought I'd go back, delete them all individually and put them all together and then keep them altogether! So begin with we have:**

**Heart Of The TARDIS Daily Challenge: Prompt Word: Socks! ****Stopping for Socks**

* * *

The Doctor was crazy. If Amy Pond knew nothing else for certain she knew that. In her time with him she had come to accept this fact. She had taken to rolling her eyes and muttering sarcastically whenever the Doctor announced 'Bowties are cool' which he did regularly. After all everyone had their faults and a serious lacking in fashion sense was just the Doctor's.

'Hurry up, Pond' the Doctor shouted from the TARDIS door, pulling Amy from her thoughts. 'or the shop will be closed'

Amy ran to join him 'If the shop closes you can just fast forward to tomorrow when it opens again' she pointed out. 'Where are we anyway?'

'London'

'London, ok. Why?'

'Socks' The Doctor replied, walking out of the TARDIS, leaving Amy staring after him.

She ran to catch up 'Let me get this straight: You brought us to London when we could be anywhere in time and space for... socks?'

The Doctor nodded 'Socks are cool'

Had Amy had a desk in front of her she would've hit her head against it, since she didn't she just took to staring at the Doctor. She looked down at his feet; because he was wearing trousers and shoes it was impossible to see his socks. 'Socks aren't cool Doctor' she told him. 'Socks are just...socks.'

'Maybe your socks aren't cool, Amy' the Doctor said 'but mine are' he pulled up one of his trouser legs revealing bright orange socks.

'Wow' Amy said, sarcastically. 'You could have a competition with the sun'

'Anyway. I need new socks, more cool interesting socks' the Doctor said. 'and London just happens to have this great little market place that sells brilliant socks. Maybe you'll find some cool socks too.'

'Not likely' Amy said. 'I'm happy with non-cool socks. Socks weren't made to be cool, Doctor, they were made to serve a purpose and they do very well. I don't need cool socks'

'You could get blue ones to match your shoes' The Doctor commented. 'Or tarten ones to celebrate your Scottish-ness'

Amy rolled her eyes are the Doctor rambled on about socks. Just a few minutes later she found herself in an indoor market at a stall with nothing but socks; all colours and patterns. Socks all over. It worried her that the Doctor wasn't the only one who seemed to think socks could be cool. The Doctor seemed to be in his element at the sock stall, he pulled out socks of all different colours, socks that matched and socks that didn't. Socks with ducks on, socks with spaceships, socks with flags, socks with logos, socks with stars, socks with stripes.

Amy just watched him, slightly bored, for about 10 minutes. Then something got her attention; the most Scottish socks she had ever seen. They didn't match but that didn't matter, they both screamed Scotland. One was red tarten with bagpipes and the other was the blue and white Scottish flag with bagpipes. After staring at them for ages she picked them up to show the Doctor.

'You win' Amy said 'socks can be cool'


	2. Emotions

**Heart of the TARDIS: Daily Prompt: "Because it's better to feel something than to feel nothing at all."**

**Emotions**

A smile. It doesn't take much, just turning up the corners of a mouth and yet a smile can mean so much. A smile can be hiding pain, suggesting someone is ok. A smile can be pure happiness. When a smile is received it can make someone's day. After the Time War the Doctor didn't smile much. For some time he travelled alone, acted reckless and stupid. Acted cold and heartless and never smiled. Until he met Rose of course. Rose taught him how to smile again.

Tears. Everyone associates tears with upset, pain or heartbreak, unless someone is laughing so much they cry. Tears show an emotion so deep that it can't be controlled; after all, no one really wants to cry. The Doctor didn't cry in his first 7 lives. He didn't cry in his eighth life as he entered the Time War, nor did he cry in his ninth life when he came out of the Time War. Throughout all of his lives he didn't cry until his tenth life. Losing Rose had him in tears, not so much because Rose meant more to him than anything ever had before but rather than it was a step over the edge.

Pain. The Doctor was no stranger to pain, both physical and emotional. He had fought front line in a War that involved every major species in the universe. He had ended that War and in the process destroyed many planets included his own, actions like that didn't leave someone a stranger to pain. No, the Doctor knew pain a lot better than most people. In his ninth life he dealt with it by being cold and then by Rose. At the beginning of his tenth life he dealt with it because he had Rose. Rose kept him strong, Rose kept him going, Rose made him see that there was still good and that he could do good the way he always had. Rose was so human, so perfectly human. That's why losing Rose left him in tears. She had kept him going and going on without her terrified him.

Passion. Even if they didn't find it, everyone had a passion in life. Something they couldn't imagine life without, something they would fight for, someone they would never give up on. Something no one could ever stop them from having. For a lot of people it was what made life worth living. The Doctor wasn't sure he had a passion, but if he did it was helping people.

Now in his 11th life with Amy and Rory at his side and a Cyberman in front of him, the Doctor screamed 'It's better to feel something than nothing at all'


	3. Jack

**Lucky number's challenge. I was given Jack and "I think I'm gonna be sad, I think it's today". I can't write Jack to save my life, so it's about Jack instead. **

**Jack**

He was possibly the most confusing man ever and Ianto was sure that was one of the many things that attracted him to Captain Jack Harkness. Jack was just impossible to work out, everyone at Torchwood new so little about him, and yet there was so much too him. There was something about him that just made him extremely lovable, Ianto thought. There were other elements as well of course: Jack was possibly the most gorgeous man ever and his American accent just made him seem even more sexy. There was also that coat, that long military coat. God Ianto loved that coat. Put it all together and you've got a gorgeous American with a winner smile, a way with words, great fashion sense and a mind that no one understand. How anyone (woman, man or alien) could not be attracted to him Ianto would never understand/ Of course the fact that Jack walked around knowing that he was God's-Gift to all creatures didn't help matters.

Ianto and Jack were complete opposites, Ianto knew that and anyone could see it. While Jack was gorgeous, he was average. While Jack was boss, Ianto was tea-boy. While Jack would screw anything that moved, Ianto had only been in one relationship that ad got that serious. People said opposites attract and that was certainly the case of Ianto but he couldn't see Jack feeling the same. Sure Jack would probably screw him, he moved after all, but there wouldn't be any meaning like Ianto would like there to be. After all what could a guy like Ianto offer a guy like Jack?

Ianto sighed, knowing the answer was simple: Nothing, and tried to shake thoughts of Jack out of his mind. He was unsuccessful.


	4. My Amore

**Daily Prompt Challenge for 29th of June. Prompt: "But I thought that's what you wanted" (OMG this is so fluffy xD)**

My Amore

Rory Williams had felt his heart break when the Doctor appeared at his stag do and announced that his fiancé, Amy Pond, had kissed him. He understood that Amy's job as a kissogram meant she spent a lot of time around other men but to think of her away from work kissing another many through choice, hurt him more than he realised it would. And he needed to talk to her about it, he needed to get his head around what it meant. The Doctor clearly also thought they needed to talk too because once they were in the TARDIS he shut the young couple in the library. Rory couldn't help but notice that Amy was avoiding eye-contact, talking more of an interest in books than she ever had before.

'Why?' Rory whispered, shocked at how low and quiet his voice came out.

Still avoiding eye-contact, Amy muttered something that sounded like 'I don't know'

'I know I'm not much, Amy, I'm just a normal guy who's never going to be anything amazing' Amy looked like she wanted to interrupt but Rory continued. 'I'm just a nurse who wants to be a doctor, I can't travel in space and time, I don't know heaps about aliens. And I know that you're adventurous and that once your heart's set on something nothing can stop you from getting it, it's one of the things that made me fall in love with you. I know you're wild and can't be tamed, and I'm just Rory, but I thought that's what you wanted'

'It is' Amy said, her voice still little more than a whisper. Regret and embarrassment clear in it.

'Do you love him?' Rory asked.

'No' Amy answered to quickly. Rory waited for her to continue 'I thought I did, I thought I wanted to be with him but I don't. I don't love him, not like that.' she finally made eye-contact, 'I'm sorry, I was caught up in the excitement and thought I wanted him. I don't love him, Rory, I admire him. I think he's amazing, anyone who doesn't is stupid. But I don't love him' she came closer to Rory and cupped his face with her hand 'I love you' she kissed him and after a moment of shock he responded to the kiss.

'Well... good' he said, breathlessly when the kiss ended. For lack of anything better to say he repeated 'Good'

'That's my Rory' Amy laughed, 'always a way with words' she slid her hand in his and they joined the Doctor in the control room.

'We're going to Italy, you two are going on a date' the Doctor announced. 'Italy is perfect for you. Italian for love is "Amore" if you put Amy and Rory together you've got "Amory" it's perfect. We're going to Venice'

'He's crazy, right?' Rory commented.

'You'll get used to it' Amy told him, and smiled 'My amore'


	5. Colours of Death

**My entry for the TARDIS forums daily prompt challenge from June 30th. The prompt was 'Rainbow'. It's 8th Doctor, but you don't need to have seen the Doctor Who movie to understand it, you just need to know what gallifrey was destroyed in the Time War**

**Colours of Death**

The Doctor was in the TARDIS, pain searing through him, every inch of his body hurt and he knew he wasn't going to last long. No sensible thoughts ran through his mind, he was bound all sensibility. Colours flashes in front of his eyes, the colours of the rainbow 'Richard of York gave battle in vain' he said, for no real reason, as he remember the acronym for the colours of the rainbow. He cackled like someone who'd lost they mind. Or, more fittingly, like someone who had witnessed so much horror that nothing made sense in their mind 'Richard of York didn't know what a real battle is'. The colours continued to flash, there was no way for him to ignore them. There was no way for him to ignore what had happened, what he had just done.

**RED:**: Hatred and anger were the only two words that could sum up the causes of the War. It seemed wrong that two tiny words could mean so much and that the feeling behind them could cause mass genocide. And yet it had happened. Red mean so much: Anger; passion; danger; blood and all of them were applicable at this time. The Daleks had a passion for killing and in the end it had killed them, it had killed the Time Lords, it had killed so many species all before their time. In the end _he'd _killed all of them before their time. He was the one who put an end to it. He was responsible to that mass genocide. And it had been so easy destroying it all. Just like pressing a big red button.

**ORANGE: **Gallifrey has been a beautiful planet. The Doctor wasn't a hypocrite, he wasn't going to say that he'd always loved it and that it had meant everything to it and that he wished he had spent more time there because he didn't. He did love Gallifrey simply because it was his home world, but he always hated a lot of the ways of the Time Lords. He loved it because it was because it was beautiful and mostly he'd love the safety of knowing at the back of his mind that if he ever got fed up of travelling then Gallifrey was there as somewhere he could stay. That was what he would truly miss, the safety in his mind that his planet was no longer there for him. The knowledge that he was the only one of his grand species left, the only one who would ever remember the way Gallifrey glowed under its twin orange suns.

**YELLOW: **A colour associated with peace. The Doctor wasn't sure if he could remember peace. He didn't know how long the Time War had gone on for in terms of normal time. He had locked it in so no one could get into it again. It felt like he'd been fighting non stop for millennia. It felt like ages had got passed filled with nothing but betrayal and pain and death and plots. Peace was never on anyone's mind, mostly getting through the day and trying to come out victorious was the only think anyone cared about. The Doctor didn't think he'd ever know peace again.

**GREEN: **Fields and trees and all thing natural. To be green meant to treat the world right, to work towards making it better, helping the world. Green was also the colour of a Dalek, once its armour was got rid of and its actual organic self was seen. Looking at it that way green was very much a colour of death.

**BLUE: **Sadness is a word with such little meaning. Sad, upset, they aren't as powerful as saying depressed and yet sadness is such an understated word. The Doctor felt like there was something wrong with him, he wasn't sad. He didn't feel blue, he didn't feel angry, red, he felt nothing. Empty, like there was nothing. He knew he was in what should've been unbearable pain both physical and psychological and yet he felt nothing. He felt like there was nothing. He felt like the universe was empty, all there was, was him and his blue box.

**INDIGO and VIOLET: **Purple like a bruise. Like a pulsing bruise that never quite leaves. It might getting less prominent but it would never leave. The scars of what happened there would never go away. Never be forgotten. It would never truly be over as long as he lived on.

The Doctor gasped loudly. He wanted this to be over, forever over. He didn't want to have to think about what had happened. He didn't want to be the sole survivor. He didn't want his planet not to be there. He didn't want the guilt of knowing he was the one who destroyed everything. He didn't want any of this. He didn't want to regenerate…

He felt the change coming, though the whole time he hoped it wouldn't. He hoped he wouldn't come out of this as someone else and still himself. He felt his hair shortening and his body shape changing. It was all over in a few minutes, he was still alive. He had entered his 9th life but this time was different to each before. This time he hadn't wanted it, this time he was truly alone

'Well that's just fantastic' he muttered bitterly.


	6. Losing Life

**It was my lucky-numbers challenge two (well after I swapped it from the first evil one I was given) and I was given "River Song" and "I'm losing sight, don't count on me"**

**Losing life**

She knew all was lost and there was nothing that could give her life now. She was dying and that was set in stone. Her mind ran over her life, specifically her run ins with the Doctor. Her mind ran over everything she had done with him, for him and because of him. Her mind went over how she became the one who he told his name, and what a name it was. Her mind ran over everything an yet really she was thinking of nothing but there and then and knowing she was going to die.

'I'd have a change. You don't have any' The Doctor told her but he was wrong.

'You wouldn't have a chance and neither do I' she snapped. It was a small comfort knowing that she was drying to save the Doctor, her Doctor, the most important man in the universe. 'I'm timing it for the end of the countdown' she explained 'there'll be a blip in the command flow. That way, it should improve out chances of a clean download.

'River, please, no' He begged. Why couldn't he just accept it? She didn't want to die, but it would've been so much easier if he had accepted it.

'Funny thing is, this means you've always known how I was going to die' she was just saying whatever came to mind, not wanting to spend her last few minutes in silence. This realisation made her look at everything again. What little things had he done or said in her past and his future that showed this? 'All the time we've been together you knew I was coming here' it was killing her - for want of a better phrase - not to tell the Doctor who she was and why she'd mattered to him. Yet she knew she couldn't. 'This last time I saw you, the real you, the _future _you I mean…' tears pricked her eyes art the memory 'You turned up on my doorstep with a new haircut and a suit' her voice began to break as she became more and more desperate. 'You could me to Darillium to see the singing towers' and it had been beautiful, so beautiful. 'What a night that was! The towers sang' the tune rang through her mind 'and you cried' it had been the only time she'd seen him cry.

_Auto-destruct in one minute. _One minute left to live the computer announced to her but River continued like she hadn't heard it.

'You wouldn't tell me why, but I suppose you knew it was time. My time. Time to come to the library' Time to die she didn't add because she didn't want to say it. 'You even gave me your screwdriver. That should've been a clue' as she said that the Doctor reached helplessly for said screwdriver. _Please _she begged in her head _please just accept this. _'There's nothing you can do' she said it calmly because while it wasn't ideal, she was ok with this. She had lived her life and this was her time and she was dying for the right reason.

'You can let me do this!' the Doctor pleaded. This ever-caring nature. He didn't even know her yet he valued her life above his own. That was one of the things she loved about him.

'If you die here, it'll mean I never met you' she told him. All those times, all that wonder, everything would never have happened.

'Time can be rewritten' this was shaping up to be a long last minute.

'Not those times' it was a statement, threat and order all in one. 'Not one line. Don't you dare.' Everything meaningful in her life had been because of the Doctor, that could've be taken away. 'It's ok, it's ok' she believed it and yet she didn't, but for once it was the Doctor who needed convincing and comforting. 'It's not over for you. You'll see me again. You've got all of that to come' River felt a dread and horror, there could only be a few seconds left.. She was dying, she felt like she was losing sight of everything 'You and me. Time and space' she was desperate to finish while thinking about how this was the end and how much she'd do differently. How many people who had counted on her and she'd let down, how she'd redo that if she could. 'You watch us run'

'River, you know my name' The was no more pleading it was too late for that

_Auto-destruct in…_

'You whispered my name in my eye' The Doctor was just as desperate now.

_10...9...8..._

'There's only one reason I would ever tell anyone my name'

_6...5..._

'There's only one time I could…'

'Hush now' she didn't want to think about that shared knowledge in her last seconds.

_4...3..._

She managed a smile 'Spoilers'

_2...1..._

That was it. A blinding light, a searing pain and then…

Nothing.


	7. Finding Out

**Heart of The TARDIS daily prompt 'I Just wanted to say Goodbye'. Get your tissues ready, I nearly cried writing it, that's how sad it is. **

**Finding Out**

'Amelia, sweetie' The woman talking to me looks important. She's a police officer. She's been here talking to my babysitter, Katie, for a few minutes. I tried listening at the door to what they were saying but I couldn't hear any of it, they were talking too quietly. I know what adults were like, obviously they thought I was too young to hear what they were saying. I look up at her as she speaks 'You know how your Mummy and Daddy went out for the evening' I nod. The policewoman take a while before continuing 'The thing is, sweetie, their car crashed. They both died'

'NO!' I scream the word. I keep screaming. I don't stop screaming. Louder and louder and more high pitched. I imagine that had there been a glass in front of me it would've smashed from the loudness. I scream and scream to try and get her words out of my head. Why would this person lie to me? I knew she couldn't be telling me the truth, my parents said they'd see my later. My parents wouldn't lie to me.

'AMELIA' I know the policewoman had been saying my name for a little while but I wouldn't listen to her. I still won't listen to her know that she's shouting, trying to get my attention. I won't listen to someone who lies to me. I keep screaming. It's not working though, her words are still there. They're imprinted on my mind now. They won't go away.

'NO!' I scream the word again, 'NO! NO! NO' Mummy and Daddy can't be dead. They can't. They wouldn't leave me. They wouldn't lie to me. They wouldn't do this to me. My Mummy and Daddy wouldn't. They just wouldn't. I stop screaming and give the policewoman the meanest look I can manage 'You're lying' I shout at her. 'You're a big, fat lying.'

'I'm sorry, Amelia' the policewoman speaks softly. I know she's trying to calm me down, but I won't calm down. I won't listen to her. I won't believe her. She's lying. I know she is. 'I wish I was, but I'm not. Your Mum and Dad died. I'm sorry'

'STOP IT!' I scream again. 'Stop saying that! It's not true! Stop lying to me. They wouldn't do this to me. They wouldn't. You're lying.'

'Amelia, please' the policewoman is pleading with me now. She wants me to listen to her, she wants me to believe her lie. I won't. I can't. I won't, won't, won't.

'I hate you!' I tell her and run out of the room. When I get outside Katie stops me from running straight upstairs. 'Get out the way' I moan.

'Amelia stop' Katie says, trying to take me in her arms. 'Just stop'

'No' I shriek, trying to pull away from her but she keeps hold of me. 'No. You're in on it too. Why is everyone lying to me. It's not true. It's not'

Katie sits down on the stairs and holds me close, slowly rocking me back and forth. She whispers soothingly that it's all going to be okay and that I'll be all right. I shake my head, not believing a word of it. It's not all right. How is it all right when people are telling me my parents are dead? How is anything about this okay? Why are people lying to me? Why?

I look up at Katie and see tears on her cheeks. She's crying. If this was a lie she wouldn't cry. She wouldn't be upset if this wasn't real. But that means... that means... 'No' I cry. I'm not in control of it, I'm not even aware that it's happening until it does but tears come strolling down my face. Like a lake, no more like an ocean. The tears won't stop, I don't try to stop them. I bury my head in Katie's chest and she continues to rock me. I continue to cry and cry until I nearly choke on my tears. Katie doesn't try and stop me, she doesn't try to move me. She just stays there holding me close.

Eventually I move. I look up at Katie and she smiles sadly at me. 'What's going to happen to me?' I ask. 'Without Mummy and Daddy who's gonna look after me? Who'm I gonna live with?'

'They'll find a close relative and you'll go and live with them' Katie answers.

I wrap my arms around her neck 'I don't want Mummy and Daddy to be dead' I cry. More tears fall from my eyes. Once again they won't stop. My mind runs through thinks that will never happen again. I'll never play football with Daddy again or go shopping with Mummy. Daddy'll never tell me the story of Princess Amelia at bed time again. Mummy'll never make the monsters go away again. I cry so much that my eyes start to hurt. I want a time machine. I want to go back and stop this from happening. I want to stop them from going out in the car tonight. Or if I can't stop it I want to go with them. I don't want to live with some relative. I don't want to never be able to see them again. I want them back or I want to go with them. 'I don't want to move away from here. I don't want everything to change. They can't be dead, they can't, they just can't' but even as I'm saying it I know they are. And I know nothing can undo that.


	8. Muffins

**Carly – Muffins.**

**Carly's Mum – Muffins?**

**Carly – Paula's forum's daily prompt. I have no ideas.**

**Carly's Mum – Chocolate chip. Blueberry.**

**Carly – Amy and Rory could argue about muffins! That'd be so sweet.**

**Oh how parents of Whovians should just not talk. xD. Please R&R**

**Muffins**

Amy and Rory were 17 when she first started dating. Everyone said it was madness and they'd never last. They didn't agree on anything and were forever arguing over the pettiest of things. The couple never listened to others, knowing they were wrong.

'Picnic' Rory announced, one sunny Saturday. He held up a picnic basket to reinforce his point.

'Brilliant' replied Amy.

Most people thought that because she didn't seem like the girly-girl type that she wouldn't appreciate a romantic gesture like a picnic. Rory knew her better than that. He took her hand and lead her through a woodland, up a grass-hill, and by a lake. Once they had reached the right spot Rory pulled the blanket off the top of the basket and lay it on the ground ready for them. Amy jumped onto it and fidgeted a bit to get comfortable.

'So what've you got?' she asked.

Rory sat on the blanket next to her, placed the basket in front of them and opened it. He pulled out each item as he said it. 'Sandwiches. Apples. Muffins. Crisps. Drinks'

'What type of muffins?' asked Amy, looking at them suspiciously.

'The best type' Rory smiled. 'Blueberry'

Amy gaped at him. 'No way'

'What?' Rory asked.

'Blueberry, really Rory? Chocolate chip is the best type of muffin'

'No' Rory disagreed, pulling the packet off one of the muffins. 'Blueberry is best. Chocolate is just wrong in a muffin'

'Chocolate is perfectly _right _in anything' Amy argued.

'No it's not. Face it, Amelia, blueberries were practically created so they could be put in muffins'

'Blueberries should never have been invented. And my name is _Amy._'

Rory smiled cheekily 'I know. Amelia'

Amy glared at him, but the glare quickly softened into a smile. 'Chocolate's still better'

'No. Blueberry'

'Chocolate'

'Blueberry'

'Chocolate'

'Blueberry'

'CHOCOLATE'

'BLUEBERRY'

'Chocolate!' Amy tried to settle it by throwing one of the blueberry muffins at Rory.

Rory knocked it out the way and was about to open his mouth to argue against chocolate muffins when Amy pushed him into a lying down position and kissed him deeply.

'I love you' Rory whispered through kisses.

'Mmm' Amy muttered. 'Me too. Even if you have no taste in muffins'


	9. Life on Earth

'**Whatever Happened To…' challenge. It's my first time writing Susan, and I always struggle with the passing of time so I hope this turned out all right.**

**Life on Earth**

Rebuilding the Earth was never destined to be an easy task. The Daleks may've been destroyed but they'd left behind a world full of shattered countries and terrified people. Many people had gotten used to living in fear and under the control of the Daleks that they didn't want to rise up and help the rebuild in case it wasn't real, in case Dalek forces reappeared and killed everyone who was working against them. Others were tired, tired of fighting, tired of working, and didn't want the hassle of rebuilding, they just wanted to live with what they had. Others were mentally or physically too ill to work. Over all in London, Susan and David could only find a few thousand to help them, and the story was the same throughout the country, throughout the world. The ones who could and would help gave their all; shifting rubble and slowly but surely starting to rebuild London. Slowly but surely rebuild the Earth.

Rebuilding the Earth was never destined to be a quick task. Susan and David stayed in London and the days seemed to pass with more than 24 hours in them. Time stretched on slowly as though it was trying to stand still but was forced to continue. 6 months passed in what felt more like 6 years and yet London didn't change. Looking at it closely the changes were there but they were small. The River Thames was no longer a wasteland for dumping rubbish and dead bodies. Many of the people who had been killed during the Daleks rule were properly laid to rest in a burial and memorial service that could rival the end of the World Wars. Rubble was salvaged or scrapped and lost buildings had begun to take shape again. Over all, though, London was still the destruction site it had been 6 months previous.

David worked hard at getting things growing. Pride filled him as an orchard started to grow it what had been barren land. It wasn't what most people would call an orchard but it was the beginnings of one. David couldn't help but see the newly planted trees as a sign that thinks were starting to look up. Life was going on, it was going to get better. It was going to go back to how it was before the Daleks came. People were going to own the earth again. The way it should be. As well as growing things David worked with animals. Farms slowly started to form again, and he wanted to be there caring for them, helping it along the way.

Susan came to love the area near beside the River Thames more than she had ever loved one place before. She had returned there the day after the Doctor had left her just so she could get her TARDIS key back. She had dropped it in the initial shock and desperation of losing one life and gaining another but she didn't really want to lose it. She placed the chain around her neck and rarely took it off from then on. After picking up the key she stayed staring at the water. It became a comfort for her, somewhere familiar. It was only a few metres from where the TARDIS had landed when she first got here. It was also a reminder that the Earth wasn't as small as it seemed. Despite the fact that she had stayed in the 1960s with her Grandfather for some time, Susan wasn't used to be in one place. London seemed so all compared to the universe of time and space that she was used to. That stretch of water calmed her down whenever she felt herself getting upset and reminded her that there was a whole planet across oceans.

One of the hardest things for Susan had been getting used to going to sleep and waking up in the same place in the same time period. She had gotten out of that habit once her teachers had stumbled into the TARDIS. She had got used living her life all over time and space and it kept confusing her to find time moving in the correct order like it should. Each time she went to sleep she half expected to wake up in a different place. Each time she woke up, she only just stopped herself from asking where they were this time. She was unsure if it was because she was missing the TARDIS and her way of life or simple because it was hard to get out of that habit. Either way it made life on Earth hard to get used to

Finding clothes for Susan hadn't been too hard a task. David knew some people who were willing to give her some old clothes. Along with that one of London's major shopping centres hadn't been completely destroyed and had many abandoned shops, so they got her some clothes in there as well. Susan hadn't been happy with the idea 'Surely it's stealing' she had pointed out.

'Maybe technically, but the shop's closed down, there's no one here to pay even if we wanted to' David had replied 'and anyway, we're more than paying for it with the working we're doing for London. Because of us and the others like us London will, in time, be a fully running city again. A few sets of clothes is the least we can take by way of payment for it'

'I guess' Susan had mused. 'I just wish Grandfather had been a bit more sensible about this. He should've at least let me get some of my belongings'

'The Doctor knew that if you went back into the TARDIS there's no way you'd have come back out in this time' David had said. 'He knew this was what you wanted but that you didn't want to leave so it was better for him to do the hard bit for you'

Susan had smiled 'Yeah, he always was an old softy under that hard exterior'

The idea of oceans reminded Susan of the TARDIS. An ocean was a stretch of water that separated one place from another, it was easy to get from the two places, but the ocean itself was unpredictable. No one could tell the water how to flow just like despite gaining some control the Doctor couldn't direct the TARDIS precisely. It was easy enough to get from point A in time and space to point B but if the TARDIS didn't want to go there, the TARDIS wasn't going to go there. Just like if an ocean didn't want you to get across it then you'd never be able to get across it. Susan began to wonder if the ocean was some sort of life force, like the TARDIS. Not an actual living being but alive all the same. Either way the ocean was beautiful. Either way stretches of water were the one connection Susan still had to the life she was used to.

Susan and David settled, uneasily, into one of the safety bases David had stayed in during the invasion. It wasn't ideal, it wasn't comfortable but to begin with it was all they had. It was shared with a number of others: people David knew; people he didn't; people who could help; people who couldn't; people who would help; people who wouldn't. In many ways it was as if humanity had come together, even people who didn't agree on the best course of action were sharing accommodation and looking after each other. It wasn't all good, there was no end of arguments, some of which escalated into full-blown fights but at the end of the day people were there for each other.

In the first few days of attempting to rebuild London, David made a promise to Susan 'When this job's done we're going to have the most beautiful house there is'. Susan had smiled admiring his optimism, but wanting to focus on the job in hand. There would be time to think about afterwards when the job was nearly done, it was going to take time and it needed the majority of their attention. David had meant it though, every few weeks he'd repeat the promise, showing that he hadn't forgot, showing that he really meant it. He even started showing Susan pictures of possibly designs for houses. Slowly but surely his optimism rubbed off on her, and she began to believe that they were going to get their beautiful house.

The idea excited Susan; she had never truly had a home before. Much like the Doctor, Gallifrey had never really felt like a home to her so she had been glad to get away. The TARDIS was the closest she had had to a home, but she wasn't sure it could really be classified. It wasn't somewhere to settle down in, it was somewhere constantly on the move. Susan couldn't wait until David's promise became a reality and she had a home to live her life in. She knew, though, that it would be a long time coming.

Susan knew the number of hours and even the number of minutes but she tried not to think more than that it had been seven months and three days. It wasn't a long time, it certainly felt like a lot longer, but it was long enough. Long enough for her to believe she understood what it was to live like a human. Seven months and three days since she'd seen her Grandfather, it wasn't so much that she desperately wanted to see him, more than she couldn't get used to him not being around. She couldn't get his words out of her head:

_Believe me, my dear, your future lies with David, not with a silly old buffer like me! One day I shall come back. Yes, I shall come back. Until then, there must be no regrets, no tears, no anxieties. Just go forward in all your beliefs, and prove to me that I am not mistaken in mine. Goodbye, Susan. Goodbye, my dear._

Every time she thought about it she couldn't help but think that it sounded like a permanent goodbye. She couldn't put her finger on what it was, whether it was the way he worded it or his tone of voice she didn't know, but she had a feeling that she was never going to see him again. She felt her hearts break at this thought but she tried not to get upset over it. She owed a great deal to him for making the decision to lock her out. She wanted this life even if she would always have been too stubborn and scared to admit it. Now she had it, she was sure that even if the TARDIS did materialise in front of her she wouldn't go with the Doctor again.

The Doctor and David were alike in some ways and complete opposites in others, Susan quickly realised while living with David, and she was sure that was part of the reason she loved him. He was familiar and new all in one. Him and the Doctor seemed to think the same about her. David had told her that staying with him would give her identity, while the Doctor told her it would give her roots.

It was late and Susan knew she ought to sleep. She had a long day of work starting in the morning, as she did most mornings, but sleep didn't want to come. It had been a week or so since she had really thought about the Doctor and everything that had come to leaving her here and now she had started thinking about it she couldn't stop. She snuggled closer to David and he, in his sleep, put his arm around her. Susan smiled to herself. It wasn't easy and she would never forget the live she had before but she belonged here now.

DW

Susan couldn't explain it but David seemed to understand anyway. A year had passed with her living on earth and she found the day difficult. She felt as if it was the anniversary of someone's death and yet she knew that wasn't right, no one she knew had died. Her Grandfather was still out there travel, either with her teachers or without them if they'd gone back to their time. No death had occurred but the day was hard. She returned to the spot by the river where the TARDIS had dematerialised in front of her. She could remember the exact spot where it had been even though the area had been cleared up considerable in the year. She stayed staring at the spot for some time, not moving, not saying anything.

After a long while David spoke 'Do you regret him leaving you?' he was sure he knew the answer, but he wanted to check before he asked the next question.

Susan turned to face him, the saddest of smiles on her face. 'No' she replied. 'You were right, I belong in this time. With the identity you give me' she turned back to the empty space momentarily before turning to David again 'Sometimes I just miss him… it… everything, but no, no regrets'

David took hold of her left hand with his, digging his right hand into his pocket. He brought his right hand out a short moment later and knelt on one knee. 'Susan Foreman' he said, smiling nervously at her 'will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?'

Initially Susan was too shocked to say anything. She wasn't sure why she was shocked, she knew this day was going to come. A year before David had told her he wanted to marry her. She got over the shock quickly and smiled broadly 'Oh David' she said 'Of course I will'

David smiled matched hers and he threw his arms around her, lifted her into the air and spun her around. Susan rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around him tightly as he put her back on the ground.

David had wanted the wedding to be perfect and he got incredibly close. Susan hadn't known much about human traditions but he had quickly got her clued up in them. They had decided to do everything traditionally. The wedding took place in a church, with everyone they knew there. David was in a tux and Susan in a beautiful, long, white dress.

It had taken over a year before the wedding actually took place because their plans kept being halting by the rebuilding. Both of them agreed it was worth the wait and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

'I do' They both said, completing the service, before kissing.

'Where are you going on your honeymoon' a number of people asked them during the reception afterwards and both of them shrugged. They hadn't thought about that. Both them had work to do in London and hadn't thought about going away.

'Well you have to go somewhere' people pressed. 'You cant just stay here'

Eventually they made the decision to go travelling on a yacht that an old friend of David's lent them. They started by travelling north towards Scotland, David had always wanted to go there then came back south, stopping off in Ireland on the way past. Ireland was much like England, slowly rebuilding. David wondered what it had looked like before the invasion but was glad to see it picking itself back up. The country was covered in beautiful landscapes with were just starting to reappear in all their glory. It was truly beautiful.

Susan and David had three children, twin girls and a boy. They named them Rosie, Violet and Heath. Natural names in honour of the work David had put into getting things growing again. When the twins were born David and Susan finally moved into their own place. It was nothing showy, just a good sized three bedroom house in the centre of the city. Susan told the children all about their Great Grandad the Doctor. The wonderful, almost unbelievable stories became a bedtime story for the three of them and was the bases for all their games when they were young. The children were beautiful. All having elements of both David and Susan in them both in looks and personality.

Heath was five and the twins seven when he asked Susan 'When's the Doctor going to come back?'

Susan smiled slightly, giving what she believed to be the most honest answer without crushing her son's hopes. 'It's impossible to say. He doesn't have much control of his machine. He may be aiming for one place and end up halfway across the universe in a different time period.'

'Oh. I hope he comes soon' Heath had replied.

Being a mixture of Time Lord and human the children had only one heart but had some regenerative powers. If they cut themselves the scar would fade much quicker than it would on a full human. No one seem to notice this, they weren't that accident prone so there was rarely cut and scrapes to be noticed, so they were able to grow up surrounded by other children with no one knowing they were at all different. After school and university Heath went into space science, wanting to travel out there like the Doctor, while Rosie went into medicine and Violet avoided science completely and went into music.

The years continued to pass. The twins settled down with husbands and children of their own and Heath made a strong career out of space travel. In her life on Earth Susan only regenerated once and that was so David would not grow old without her. She did see the Doctor again, in his fourth life she passed him in the street but neither of them were aware of this.

Finally, with 3 children and 5 grandchildren David died and Susan (knowing her body was getting too old and she would have to regenerate) choose to die with him.

**The End**

**Tomorrow is 47 years since Doctor Who began in 1963 (how freaking awesome is that) and the TARDIS forum has a post-a-thon, and I should have at least three one-shots for it, a Doctor centric one, a 10/Rose one and a 5/Tegan one!**


	10. Train Ride

**This is my first entry for the Doctor Who Day Post-A-Thon, I'm actually taking a break from my NaNoWriMo for these! So Paula, if I don't reach 50,000, who's fault is it? Anyway, I haven't wrote 10/Rose for **_**ageeeesssss **_**so here's one :P! please R&R, ly'all, Carlyyyy.**

**Train Ride**

'I have never liked trains' the Doctor whined, looking around in disgust. He wondered why he'd let Rose drag him onto one. He ran through that conversation:

'_We're on Earth' he said as the TARDIS landed 'England, present day''_

_Brilliant' Rose said, shocking the Doctor. She normally hated them landing somewhere as boring as she saw Earth. 'Come on, it's time for you to see how us normal people travel'_

_'Rose I don't think you can count yourself until "normal people" anymore, the TARDIS is how you travel' the Doctor said. _

_Rose smiled, a smile that suggested she was planning something ''How other people generally travel then'_

_'I've been on buses before' he told her.'I was thinking more a train''No way''Yes way''No''Yes''No and that's final'_

_'Whyyy? It's not fair you always get to decide everything we do' Rose whined, sticking her bottom lip out in a pout. 'It's not fair!'_

_'You're not five you know' the Doctor said, but he couldn't help smiling'_

_Wanna go on a twain' Rose sulked, Doctor rolled his eyes and Rose widened hers in a beg _

_'Oh fine' he said. Rose smiled and grabbed his hand, before pulling him out of the TARDIS and to the nearest train station._

'I mean why would I use a train when I have the TARDIS.? If I wanted I could see the very fiest train being made. If I wanted to I could watch the last ever train being destroyed' He continued complaining. 'Rose I can tell you even major train crash in the past and future and some of the minor ones. Why would I use one? Sure their great when you're human and have no better wauy to travel but Rose I'm _not _human and I _do _have a better way to travel. She's a little blue box who';s bigger on the inside. And yet here we are quickly getting further and further away from her. Why, Rose, why? _I want the TARDIS'_

Rose laughed 'You finished?'

'Well now that you mention it, no I'm no…'

'I thought you were' Rose interrupted. 'In the TARDIS you don't get the lovely view of the English countryside that we're passing. And it won't kill you to be away from the RADIS for a few hours. In the TARDIS you don't get such a comfy seat' Rose leaned back against her seat to prove her point.

The Doctor gaped at her in horror 'You just called my TARDIS uncomfortable. No one insults my TARDIS and gets away with it, especially not someone as familiar with her as you are. Apologise now' Rose raised an eyebrow 'Apologise' The Doctor insisted and Rose just laughed 'Oh you think I'm joking do you?'

'In the TARDIS you don't have a trolley comes along to buy food from. No in the TARDIS you have to stop off and go in search of it. It comes to you on a train' Rose continued. Her point was proven as a man pulling a trolley full of snacks came passed 'Hey, a kit kat please' she said, pulling a wallet out of the Doctor's coat pocket to pay.

The Doctor continued staring at her. 'The TARDIS is still better' he said once the trolley had continued on.

'Really, Doctor, a 900 year old Time Lord being closed minded, who would've thought it' Rose commented. 'The TARDIS is awesome, Doctor, obviously nothing beats it, but there are other options. And there are things you don't get on the TARDIS that you do on a train'

'I want the TARDIS' The Doctor whined simply.

Rose rolled her eyes 'We're getting off next station, you got three options. Quit whining and enjoy where we are, continue whining and get straight back on a train and go back to the TARDIS, or continue whining, refuse to use a train and walk the goodness-knows-how-many-miles back' she told him.

'I'll stop whining' the Doctor muttered.

'That includes sulking and pouting' Rose pointed out. 'Now, if you're good I might buy you an ice cream' she held up the wallet and smiled innocently.

'That's my money' he replied.

'It's the thought that counts' said Rose.


	11. Four Lives and Over

**Heart of The TARDIS Weekly Prompt:**

**Words: Pain. Regret. : If only he could let go of the past, he might have a future**

**Quote: "There was nothing but fire and burning"**

**Entry 2 for the DWD post-a-thon**

* * *

**You're waking up a part of me I've never known  
And I've never felt so invincible  
~~Chemistry of a Car Crash, Shiny Toy Guns**

**Four lives and over:**

**Eight:** The Doctor's long hair was stuck to the side of his face, his stolen suit was torn and he was cut and bruised all over. The horror of what he was witnessing was written all over his face. The ends of his sleeves were singed from the fires he had helplessly trying to pull his kin out of. He was dying but that was all right, everything was dying. Everything and everyone, he'd just be another death in a death toll no one would ever dare to add up. He would welcome death because it was the only way he could think he would ever get these images out of his head. The fall of Arcadia, the nightmare child, the screaming the burning. Many strong civilisations had crashed and burnt in this Time War. The last great Time War, it had to be the last for who was left to fight now? No one, because he had ended it, he had stopped the killing, the burning, the screaming, he had stopped it be killing everyone.

**Nine: **The Doctor felt a new lease of life which came in the form of the beautiful, bouncy, blond who called herself Rose Tyler. Before Rose he had been reckless, suicidal would have been too strong a word. It wasn't that he set out to kill himself, it was more a came of he didn't care if he lived of died. He got into danger never thinking of the consequences. Rose gave him meaning again. Rose made him see the beauty as well as the destruction. Rose stopped him feeling empty. Because of Rose his hearts beat for a reason. Because of Rose things could be fantastic.

**Ten: **This Doctor couldn't bare to be alone. He was mostly all right if he wasn't on his own. If he had someone around he could ramble on about anything and nothing and he could stop himself having time to stop and think too much. If he was alone the memories would consume him and it was too much, he'd be a mess. Rose, Martha, Donna, he'd lost them all to the way of his life. And now he was alone, he couldn't bare it. Tears were forming and falling, each heartbeat was full of pain. If only he could let go of the past, he might just have a future at the end of it all. The Time War had been two life times ago and yet it refused to leave him along even now. It was still causing him to lose people, he'd lost everyone. Once again he was completely alone in the universe and he was dying. Only this time he didn't want to die. He wanted to find a reason to want to live. He wanted to stop the pain and not die.

**Eleven: A new Doctor. A new face. A new TARDIS interior. New friends. A new start. He was ready to move on, he hadn't realised it until after his and Amy's first trip into time and space. He would never be completely free of the Time Way and what it did but it hurt just slightly less when he thought about it now. And he learnt to believe. Once again he could believe in goodness and fairy tales and love and happiness because the proof of it all was right next to him. Amy and Rory Pond, the girl and boy who waited forever for each other. **

**There had been nothing but fire and burning but three lifetimes passed and now there was more. Now there was hope.**


	12. Cricket and Closure

MY FIRST TEGAN/5 FIC! YAY :D! R&R pleasee

Weekly Prompt:  
Words: Explosive. Care. Vortex  
Quote: I trusted you… but now…? Now I'm not sure I can.

* * *

Forever is a long time  
I'm not gonna lie  
It's not a promise you can make  
~~ What about Me, Emily Osment

**Cricket and Closure:**

Tegan sat down at the table and stared at the pen and paper in front of her. After leaving the Doctor she got on the first plane back to Australia and it felt completely wrong. She picked up the pen and made a simple start.

_Dear Doctor,_

She wondered if it was a waste of time. She' neer be able tos end it, he's never be able to read it. Yeah, she decided, it probably was a waste of time, but she needed to write it anway. She needed to clouse. Would it work? She didn't know, but it was worth a try.

_I want you to know, I loved travelling with you. I really did. I always loved travelling, I couldn't bare to be in one place too long. That's why I became an air stewardess, so I could travel. There's a certain freedom about being in the air, a freedom you can't feel from ground level. I noew you undwerstand that. You and me, we are so alike and I'm sure that's why we clashed so much. Though I'm sure there's other reasons as well._

Tegan wasn't really sure what she was trying to say wih this letter. She was probably just hoing to end p rambling pointlessly. And yet the Doctor had taught her there was always a point in the pointless.

_I said it wasn't fun anymore and I even wondered if it had evenb een fun. I thought about everything, it started with death and it ended with death and everything in between had been death. That's what I thought and in a way it was like that. But it wasn't really, it was so much more than that, it was amazing, it was beautiful. Doctor, you broadened my horizons beyond magination. You showed me so many wonderful things, not just in time and space but about right here on earth. You taught me so much about aliens and acceptance and even emotion._

She knew he would never read it, so she should be able to just write everything she felt. Yes she still had a weariness, she was still struggling with th actual words.

_The thing is Doctor, I trusted you but now I'm not sure I can. At least U wasb;t sure I could. As I said so amny good people died because of the Daleks and I blaed you. It asn't your fault, it wasn't fair on you for me to be blaming you. I know you did everything to stop it. You always do everything to op people getting hurt. I always admired you for ehat. You'd do whatever was necessary to save people. I knew that when you fell off the tower to stop the Master and you forever continued to prove that._

Tegan became away of the tears in her eyes as one ran down her cheek and splashed onto the page. She wiped is away, succeeding in drying the page but smudging the writing slightly.

_I don't know how to explain this, it's so complicated and yet it's so simple. It's so human and I'm not sure if you'd understand. I don't know wht I'm having such trin writing this. I ddnt want to leave you, Doctor, I never wanted to. I loved travelling with you in the time vortext. I loved waking up in a different place each day, no jet lag, losing all track of time. I seemed to desperate to go home to begin with and yet I don't think you ever realised that the TARDIS became my home. I know now that I belong in the TARDIS with you, more than I elieve here in Brisbane, Australia. It broke my heart to leave you, there are no words to explain how it felt to know I would enver see you again. It hurt so much. I only left to protect my heart. I broke my heart to protect it. I know that doesn't makes sense but I loved you and I couldn't tell you and you didn't notice._

Tegan took a deep breath and reread the last line. There it was, written prof. It was no longer just in her head and heart. It was out there, though he'd never see it, never hear it. She wiped her eyes, wishing the Doctor had known how much she cared about him, wishing she'd listened to the Doctor when he pleaded with her to stay, wishing she hadn't ran away from hi. She found herself writing what she was thinking.

_I never thought you'd try and stop me from going. I never thought you'd want me to say. Part of me wishes I had stayed or at least done something so I didn't leave on bad terms. I came back and watched you go, did you know that? I couldn't stay when you didn't know, maybe I was a coward, maybe I should've stayed, but I thought it would be easier to go and not see you, than be with you, love you and not be able to have you. I'm hoping it'll get easier in time to be able to go back to an ordinary human life. I don't feel like an ordinary human though. Maybe one ay I'll see you again and be able to tell you this but I don't count on it. I knew my leaving was goodbye forever. I'm not even really sure why I'm writing this, it's sill really, I know you'll never see it. I guess I couldn't just leave it how it was.I can't forget you, Doctor, you've become a part of me. Everything I do have been influenced by you, you changed me for the better. Hopefully Ill be able to continue what we did down here on earth. Aliens are bound to come down to Australia sometime. I will never forget you, I'll keep living for you, I'll do some good in your name  
All my love,  
Tegan Jovanka._

Tegan signed off and smiled. A sad and yet content smile. She had said what she need ed to. She folded the sheet up paper up as small as it would go and hid it somewhere she wasn't likely to see it for a long time. She looked out of her bedroom window up to the night sky, , imagining the little blue box and her Doctor up there saving civilizations and playing cricket. He had cricket and she had closure.


	13. Not Like This

**My fourth entrance for the Post-A-Thon. Just something, as a 5/Tegan fangirl, I couldn't resist writing.**

**Weekly prompts:**

**Sentence: But after all that was too be expected.**

**Quote: "Please don't do that again"**

* * *

**Two Am feelin' like I just lost a friend  
Hope you know this ain't easy, easy for me  
~~ Breathe, Taylor Swift**

**Not Like This:**

'You miss Tegan' Turlough said. The Doctor wasn't sure if it was a question of a statement, either way it brought him up short. He stopped and looked at Turlough across the TARDIS console.

'Well we were together for a long time' he replied simply and continued with what he was doing. But after all that was to be expected the Doctor never was one to open up and admit to feelings. He cared for his companions but beyond that he'd never admit to anything. He did miss Tegan, though, he'd become so used to the argumentative Australian that the TARDIS seemed quiet and empty without her, even with Turlough there.

The Doctor had never begged anyone to stay because, he'd let them go against their wishes, he's let them go against his wishes, he's let them go because it was better for them, he had wished some had stayed but never before had he begged someone to stay. Perhaps begged was the wrong word but he obviously hadn't just accepted it. He'd hated watching Tegan run away from him, knowing it was his fault. He hated the bad terms it ended on.

'Go back to Earth' suggested Turlough. He wasn't keen on the thought of returning to the watery planet, but it seemed necessary 'go and see her again'

'It was her choice to leave' said the Doctor 'she wanted me to go'

'Doctor' Turlough pressed

The Doctor looked at Turlough and sighed 'It'll be a waste of time, so just remember it was your idea'

DWD DWD

'Brave heart, Tegan' the young, loud Australian said to herself as she wastched the blu box dematerialise. She was already questioning her decision. She didn't move once the TARDIS had gone, she simply watched the space where it had been. She thought about what had just happened the Doctor had tried to convince her to stay with him and she'd ran to stop that happene. She had been so sure she had had enough of it but the truth was the events of the day had just scared her. Scared her so much that she pushed away the Doctor she couldn't bare to live without.

She finally turned to walk away when she heard the wheezing sound of the TARDIS materialising behind her. She froze on the spot but she didn't turn around, sh was convinced she had been heading things. The sound continued and she had to look to prove it on way or the other.

The TARDIS was there. She smiled slightly, confusion settling in. He came back? She wiped her eys as the doors opened. The Doctor didn't miss her tears as he stepped out, his expression seriously. 'Tegan, I'm sorry' he started, his voice matching his expression 'I'm just going to say this once and if you still want the same I'll go and never come back' he looked her in the eyes 'please don't go and leave it like this'

Tegan looked at him unblinkingly 'Doctor' she whispered.

'It was a bad day' he continued, 'A terrible day but don't just walk away because of it'

'Doctor' Tegan said again.

Once again the Doctor didn't seem to notice 'Do you really want to go back to a normal himan life? Didn't you always want to travel up there' he turned and pointed to the sky 'You know it's amazing. You can't go back to a normal life, Tegan, you're not just a normal human being.' he turned back to her 'Come with us again'

'Doctor!' Tegan said, louder this time. 'Honestly, you say I talk too much' she smiled at him. 'I never wanted to leave. I thought I did but I don't'

The Doctor smiled, but it quickly faded 'Please don't do that to me again' he muted, before taking her hand and leading her back into the TARDIS.

'A waste of time, huh?' Turlough muttered.


	14. The Story Of Nine

**The TARDIS 30 prompts challenge, based around the 9****th**** Doctor. Please R&R**

* * *

**The Story Of Nine**

Freedom

He laughed, there was something maniacal about the sound of it. He was alive! He was fine! He had survived the Time War, of all people _him. _The Doctor. The one who ran, the one who always ran. But not this time, this time he stayed, this time he survived. He was victorious. Time Lord victorious. The one and only Time Lord in the whole universe. No one to stop it, no one to say "don't do that", no one for anything, just _him. _Just the Doctor, in the TARDIS, alone. Perfect. Freedom at last. Freedom from Gallifrey, from everyone.

Pain

He regenerated and as he did everything changed. All the feelings of victory and success left. His hair shortened and his body changed and he knew that that was it now. Just him completely alone in the universe. Nothing could explain the complete emptiness and pain that caused. The war had been horrific, the worst sights he had ever witnessed but he'd have given anything to be back in it. At least while fighting he didn't have any time to stop and think, he didn't have time for anything other than surviving. Now all he had was time, nothing but time that wouldn't pass and pain that wouldn't end.

"Well, I guess I have to thank you now"

He went to Earth as he always had done. He became reckless, not caring what happened to him or how. He witnessed John Kennedy being killed, he saved a family from the titanic, he went to World War 1 and 2 and 3. He went to English civil war and the American. He took part rebellions and revolutions.

It was at the opening of the 3rd World War when he was almost killed. A woman saved him, he didn't know who she was but she pulled out of the path of a bullet. He just stared at her blankly, no life in his eyes "Well, I guess I have to thank you now…" was all he said at first.

Truth

He got talking to her, without even finding out her name, while walking aimlessly. He told her everything, everything about Gallifrey, the Time War, the burning, the hatred, the pain, everything. He explain how it made earth look tiny, he told her how he felt, how he didn't see the point when it was all so meaningless. Tears filled his eyes as he told her how he came to the decision to end it the only way he could; so that everyone lost. And everything died. Except him.

She looked at him helplessly, wordlessly and he smiled "Not a word was true" he whispered, playfully "I'm just a born storyteller" and before she could reply he was gone.

Saviour

He continued to travel alone, going anywhere where he knew there were problems. Wars, poverty, pain, suffering of any type. He went to them to try and help. He went to save them. Them being anyone, anyone and everyone. He had to help, he had to do something. He'd destroyed so much, planets had died because of him, he had to do something to counter that.

But it wasn't enough. It would never be enough. He could never save everyone, people always died. He could never do enough. Everywhere he went there was death, it was his one and only companion

Hatred

He wondered why he bothered. Why bother travelling when he only made things worse? He just hurt more and more people the more he travelled. He never meant to, he only meant to help, but it never turned out that way. He wasn't one for hatred but he grew to hate so much. He hated the Time Lords for being unprepared, he hated the Daleks for starting it, but mostly he hated himself for ending it. He hated himself for the repeated Genocide he had committed. He hated himself for everything he had done and everything he would do in the future because he knew it wasn't going to get any better.

Loss

He didn't go anywhere. An endless time past in the TARDIS and he felt no desire to go anywhere. He felt nothing about anything. Everything the Doctor had been, everything the Doctor had stood for, everything he had been before was lost. He became an empty shell floating about the empty, endless space of the TARDIS. He didn't care about anything, he had no desire to live. He wasn't living, he wasn't alive, he was simply surviving. But surely that was better? If he didn't look back and didn't move forward then nothing could be wrong. Nothing could get worse.

Or better.

Sorrow

He wandered around aimlessly through the empty corridors and empty rooms, never doing anything but wandering. Never going anywhere. Sadness, upset, sorrow and any other words there was to describe it did not go deep enough to explain what he was feeling. He was feeling everything so deeply that he barely felt anything at all. Everything hurt so much that it barely hurt at all. And he didn't care about anything. He just continued to exist in the TARDIS

"I'm not sure I can do this."

The only effort he made was to avoid the control room, he didn't want to go out. He didn't want to admit to himself that he missed it. He didn't want to admit that he missed living. He was scared, though he wouldn't even admit that, he was scared of going out and get hurt again, scared of hurting people again, scared of everything.

It was impossible to tell the amount of time that past before he found himself back in the control room staring at the doors. "I'm not sure I can do this" he told the TARDIS in a whisper, his voice so void of emotion that it portrayed all the emotion he was feeling.

Innocence

He left the TARDIS, landing in late 20th century London. He didn't do anything, he simply leaned against the TARDIS and watched the human life around him. There was a lot of the typical hustle and bustle of London life; men in suits looking miserable; traffic jams of red buses and black taxis: families on their way home from school and work.

A girl of about 6 and a boy of about 8 caught the Doctor's eyes as the boy fell over and screamed from the pain and shock of it and the girl automatically ran to him and checked he was ok. She then ran to her Mum and told her that her friend had fallen down. Innocence was something the Doctor could barely remember, but it was the only word to describe that little girl.

Her name was Rose Tyler.

Hope

He smiled. It wasn't a smile of pure happiness and it wasn't a smile that said everything was all right. But it was a sign. It was a sign things could get better in time. It was a sign that there was more than just destruction and pain in the universe. It was a sign he could believe in life again. It was hope. It was something which said he was going to stop wandering helplessly, aimlessly, lifelessly around the TARDIS. It was a sign he was going to live again.

He went back into the TARDIS and set the controls to random.

Doubt

He travelled without a purpose for a while, he just went wherever the TARDIS took him. He doubted he'd ever get back to the happy, fun-loving Doctor he was before the Time War, before everything ended, before he gave up. But it was a start. He was travelling. He was becoming more and more like the Doctor again. If only he could get past the self-hatred and self-doubt then maybe things really could be all right.

Friendship

She saved him. She barely knew him, but she faced the Nestene Consciousness to save him, even after he'd told her to go home and forget him. And this time he didn't run. He stopped and stayed, he knew he needed someone. He knew he needed a friend and Rose Tyler was the perfect candidate. She was sweet and kind and caring, she was smart and fun and knew how to have a good time and when to be serious. She was exactly what he needed. So he asked her to come with him. He even went back when she said no. Maybe that would've seemed a little desperate, but he needed a friend. He needed Rose Tyler.

Bury

He knew exactly what else he needed as well. He needed to let go. Not of the Time War because he knew he would never be able to let go of that, he'd never be able to let go of Gallifrey and mostly he didn't want to. But he needed to let go of emotion. Not completely, he had no desire to become like a Dalek or a Cyberman, but he knew he needed to protect himself. He needed to bury emotion, to protect his hearts because he was sure they couldn't take anymore. He couldn't allow himself to feel anything too deeply because he wouldn't be able to bear it.

Creation

He took Rose to see the end of the world. Her world. The end of the Earth. She was horrified, the sight shocked her to the core, from her eyes, the eyes of a human, it was the end of everything, the end of all creation. He regretted showing her as soon as he saw the sadness in her eyes at the sight. But it was all right for her, everything was all right for her, because all he had to do was take her hand and lead her back to the TARDIS and a few minutes later they were back on Earth. Back on her world.

Understanding

"My planet burnt" He told her, avoiding her gaze but knowing she was looking right at him. He explained what happened. And this time he didn't go into deep detail, he just told Rose the basics. And this time he didn't run when he had finished.

Rose took his hand gently, and used no words to claim that she understood what he was going through. But it wasn't words he was looking for, what he was looking for he found. When he asked if she wanted to go home and she told him she wanted chips, he had to laugh, because she was just so human and ironic as it was 'just so human' was exactly what he needed.

Beauty

Rose Tyler was beautiful. The Doctor noticed it when she put on that dress to go out in the 19th century. He found the words slipping out of his mouth before he could stop them "You look beautiful" he told her, instantly regretting it. Beauty was a human thing, an emotion thing, he couldn't allow that to slip in "Considering" he added, explaining with "That you're human" making it a joke, because he had to.

But she was beautiful and it wasn't just because of the way she looked. Rose Tyler was beautiful on the inside as well, were it counted.

Forgotten

The Doctor took her to see Charles Dickens, it hadn't been intentionally but he didn't regret it. Except losing her, that had terrified him. And he found himself smiling more and more with her around. A smile no longer felt wrong on his face, it still didn't feel right but it didn't feel wrong. He knew he would never forget what happened on Gallifrey, what he did. There was still a part of him that wished it could be forgotten, that he could just remove it from his memory and be happy without it, but he would never do that. He was all there was of Gallifrey now and he had to remember. But he was beginning to see, maybe, he could move on from it.

"So, do you love me?"

He hadn't _meant _to arrive 12 months later rather than 12 hours, it was a simple accident. A simple accident that had caused so much pain to so many people. He sighed, his life seemed to be full of them. He couldn't bear it though, he didn't know if Rose saw through his innocent comment of "Don't you dare make this place domestic". He couldn't stand domestics, he didn't want to think of normal life let alone watch it in front of him.

But Rose was human, domestic was to be expected, and Mickey the Idiot was hurt by her. The Doctor, who avoided anything which involved emotions, could see the unspoken question on Mickey's lips when he looked at Rose "So, do you love me?" and he knew Rose could see it. Why didn't she answer it?

Trust

"Sure you don't want to stay with them?" The Doctor asked once they were back in the TARDIS. He didn't want her to leave him, but he didn't want her to feel like she had to stay. He knew he had no right to make anyone feel like they had to do anything.

"Yes, Doctor, I'm sure." Rose replied instantly.

"Why?" He asked, genuinely curious.

"Because the universe is beautiful. I don't want to miss the chance to see it, and I like travelling with you" Rose meant his eyes "Why you asking? Did you want to go?"

"No!" the Doctor answered quickly. "Just checking you were sure."

Rose smiled "Trust me Doctor, I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be"

_Trust me Doctor. _And he did trust her and that scared him.

Photograph

He had never been as scared as he was when he saw a Dalek in Van Statten's basement. It was just sat there, waiting for orders from a planet that no longer existed. It was just sat there, a single metal pod, chained up and unable to go anywhere. Just sat there, like a photograph. Like a simple, old sepia photograph summing up the horrors of the Time War. Pulling him straight back there, reminding him of what he could never forget, forcing him to relive it. Forcing him, against his will, to lose himself, once again to the War. Forcing him to admit to himself that it truly would never be over. It would never be gone.

Perception

"What about you, Doctor, what are you turning into?"

Rose's words had cut him deep. She forced him to stop, forced him to look at himself. Looking at himself and the Dalek he was pointing the gun at. Him and it. It and him. Were they really so different? He blamed the Daleks for the Time War but was it there fault? Or did the fault lay with the Time Lords. They started it and he ended it. They both caused an uncountable number of deaths. Was he really any better than them? It was a matter of perception and his was telling him that he wasn't.

Forgiveness

The look in Rose's eyes when she asked to go back to see her Father haunted the Doctor. There was something about her, something he couldn't say no to. And he understood her reasoning perfectly. There was so many times he wished he could've gone back just so that someone wasn't alone but he couldn't. Rose could though, so he had to say yes.

And Rose almost caused the end of the world with a few simple mistakes. An event which opened the Doctor's eyes to the reality of his situation. He could and would never forgive himself for what he did on and to Gallifrey and all the other planets, but that didn't mean he had to hate himself for everything simple little mistake he made afterwards. If only he could find a way, find the forgiveness he needed from himself, maybe then he'd be all right.

Betrayal

After letting Rose see her Father, the Doctor realised he had betrayed himself. He'd let himself care for someone again, he had let Rose into his hearts. He had only planned on a simple friendship, a bit of fun, the chance to smile again, he had never thought he'd end up feeling so deeply for her. He considered dropping her home and just leaving her there. Protecting himself before he lost her and protecting her before she got hurt by him but he couldn't. He didn't want to let her go, he didn't want to be alone. So he didn't, he didn't change anything.

Joy

The Doctor never would've thought that going to World War 2 once again would prove to be the perfect place for everything to go right. "I love days like this" he announced to Rose and he did. Nothing gave him more joy than seeing everything turn out all right, seeing no one die. The thought of no one die him made him dizzy with excitement and happiness. It was brilliant. It was perfect. It was _fantastic _because just for once everyone lived. Just that once.

Music

Meeting Captain Jack Harkness was an experience and a half. He certainly was a one of a kind man, somewhat like the Doctor himself. But he liked him, once he got passed the big-headed annoyingness. And Jack reopened his eyes to music, he hadn't listened to music properly for such a long time, but Glen Miller's Moonlight Serenade opened him eyes and reminded him what he had been missing.

Music which could elicit so many emotions, music which could say and do so much with no words. Music which was beautiful, music which reminded him once again that not everything was bad in the universe. Music which made him truly happy to pull Rose Tyler into his arms and dance with her like he would never let her go.

Electricity

He was happy. Well as happy as he could be, happier than he had been since the Time War. He was happily travelling with Rose and Jack, it was almost like before the War. As though it was Tegan and Turlough or Zoe and Jamie that were travelling with him, as though Gallifrey was still waiting for him and he was avoiding it. Of course, he knew it wasn't, but the fact that Gallifrey was gone didn't fill his every thought any longer. It was like electricity, like a switch had been flicked on and he was able to be happy again and he didn't take it for granted.

Underwater

If happiness was electricity then the Daleks were water. Water that forced him under, forced him to lose or destroy everything good that he had. Sending Rose home just about killed him. He had known it was necessary, known it was his only choice because he could _not _put her in any danger but it had hurt so much. He felt like he was drown, like he was being pulled underwater and he didn't know how to keep himself upright, keep himself floating. Once again he became unsure if he even wanted to. Part of him welcomed Death once again. Coward or killer? He was both but if that was his final choice he would go with coward, always.

Aid

But Death never came because Rose came back. "I bring life". Oh Rose, sweet, innocent, lovely, loving _human _Rose. She didn't understand fully what she was doing, she couldn't, even he didn't understand the power of the TARDIS, but in that moment when Rose looked at him he knew she understood him, everything about him. It scared him but he was so thankful for it. Thankful for her, thankful for her coming to his aid. She almost killed herself in a desperate attempt to save him and he knew exactly what he had to do to stop that happening.

He kissed her.

Flight

It killed him. He knew it would. There was something rather poetic about that he thought. He hadn't wanted to let anyone in, and when he did, kissing her had been the death of him. He looked at her, semi-conscious on the TARDIS floor and knew it was worth it. He was happy to regenerate and start another life if it meant Rose Tyler would live to fight another day. He put the TARDIS into flight, and turned to Rose who had stood up by this point.

"Before I go…" he needed to say this "You were fantastic" he smiled and though it was pained there was happiness behind it "And you know what? So was I"

And this time he believed it.

* * *

**A/N: Aw. I love Nine, and he doesn't get enough attention and now I'm so glad I wrote this! =D R&R?**


	15. Rose

**Written for the TARDIS prompt: Rebirth**

**Rose**

Humans! He always seemed drawn by them. He always found himself going to Earth, it was practically a second home to him. He'd even been exiled there at the end of his second life. But he'd never left himself so open and vulnerable because of just one human before.

It was her though. Rose Tyler. She would never be just another human. Rose Tyler who had saved him when he wouldn't admit he needed saving. Rose Tyler who had taught him to smile again, taught him it was ok to feel happiness, to feel l-, to care again.

And she'd been there, just up the street from him, her blonde hair blowing in the wind, looking so beautiful. The sight filled him with such happiness that he had felt tears fill his eyes. She was there, she had done the impossible and got back across the universes to help him, to see him again. She'd been there, just up the street and smiling at him, how could he do anything except throw all sensibility out the window and just run to her? He couldn't, he was sure it was physically impossible.

And it had left him open to attack, it had left him vulnerable, it had left him with his guard down. And yeah, he had been shot by a Dalek to get to her, but Rassilon knew it was worth it. Anything would've been worth it to see that smile again, anything to see her happy and not upset. That's why he had to stop it. That's why he had to stay the same. For Rose. Because she was here and she was begging him not to go. And if Rose could prove the impossible for possible for him, it was only fair he did the same for her. So he healed and then forced it to stop.

He stopped the regeneration, poured the excess energy into his hand and looked at her. Rose Tyler. He still couldn't quite believe she was there. But it was her, could only be here. Rose Tyler. Looking confused and nervous and worried to be happy.

"You're still…you?" she whispered as though she couldn't quite believe it.

"I'm still me" he replied, catching her as she threw her arms around him. He held her there, a permanent smile on his face, because since the Time War and especially since losing her nothing had felt more right than having Rose Tyler in his arms.

**A/N: Written after a 'debate' with Taylor and Emma about angst vs fluff, they were for fluff, I was for angst. So then I wanted to see if I could still write fluff because I used to all the time, then I wanted to see if I could still right Drose, because I used to all the time. And then I stayed at my Journey's End poster for a while… then I got bored in History… and this happened.**


	16. DoctorMaster song drabble1

**10 Song Doctor/Master Drabble:**

**1) Jennette McCurdy's Generation Love**

"I'll never understand why you love this species so much, Doctor." The Master commented, looking down at the ages Doctor. "They're one of the worst in the universe, they're always destroying everything, kill each other. They wouldn't know a good thing if it punched them in the face."

"You're looking at them wrong." The Doctor replied, staring straight ahead rather than at the Master "You're not seeing the amazing thing they can and do achieve, the level of care and love on this planet." He turned to look at the Master, "D'you remember love?"

The Master just walked away.

**2) Green Day's Jesus of Suburbia**

_Taptaptaptap, taptaptaptap, taptaptaptap, _there was the drumming, there it was right in the front of his mind, and it hurt. He was surprised by how much it hurt. He always thought it wasn't really that bad. He should've known not to underestimate the drums. It hurt so very much.

"_Please don't do this,_" the Doctor said softly into the Master's mind through the connection. He tried to pull the Master's hands away from his head, trying to break the connection between them, trying to get the drums out of his head.

The Master didn't move, he didn't even seem to realise the Doctor had spoken, "I need you to understand. I need you to know how much it hurts, how it never goes away."

"I understand." The Doctor said, aloud this time, "Please stop it."

The Master let go "I'm sorry" he whispered, and the Doctor noticed the tears lining his eyes.

**3) Alison Krauss's It Doesn't Matter**

"I hate you!" the Master screamed, ignoring the look of horror and pain on the Doctor's face, "I hate everything about you."

"Then why are you here?" the Doctor asked, his voice quiet, shaking just slightly as he tried to hold the tears back.

"I don't know," the Master replied, bitterly "Maybe I should just go."

The Doctor gasped, stepping forward towards him "No, don't go."

"Why shouldn't I?" the Master asked, watching the Doctor closely.

The Doctor hesitated before saying "Because I love you."

"I don't care." The Master replied and stormed out, leaving the Doctor staring after him in shock.

**4) Birthday Massacre's Promise Me**

The Doctor felt the Master's arms around him, protectively and almost couldn't believe it. He looked up at his oldest friend, he was so young in this incarnation, he looked so innocent and loving, almost like Koschei had.

"What are you looking at?" the Master asked, his voice softer than it ever was in the day, the tone the Doctor long for always.

"You," he replied quietly, smiling slightly. "What are _you _looking at?"

"You." The Master replied, a playful smile twitching at the corners of his mouth. He paused for a moment before leaning forward and kissing the Doctor, pushing him down the bed. He kissed him deeply and passionately and between kisses the Doctor couldn't keep the smile of his face, trying happy.

Until the morning, when the Doctor woke alone as if no one else had ever been there.

**5) The Beatles' Ask Me Why**

He knew many people wouldn't see him as lucky and yet he couldn't believe his luck. He felt like the luckiest man in the universe. He knew so many people would've thought he was out of his mind, and maybe he was. He didn't care. He didn't care about anything except the Master. The Master who he was watching from across the TARDIS. The Master, his Koschei, his first and only real love, who was back and was his again. Yeah, he was lucky.

**6) Katy Perry's Firework**

"You're just going to… keep me?"

The Master tried to regret those words and how true they had become but he couldn't. Life in the TARDIS wasn't as bad as expected. In fact thinking about it, it was pretty damn amazing. He, the Master, had the Doctor completely under his control. Oh sure the Doctor thought he had control but the Master knew better, the Master knew he had the Doctor at his beck and call, that he could and would make the Doctor do anything. The Doctor, finally, was truly his. How he loved that control.

And though he could never admit it, how he loved him.

**7) Enrique Iglesias's Tired of Being Sorry**

"Tell me about it, Doctor, tell me about the War. Tell me about the monster you become, the evil deed you committed." The Master demanded, holding the Doctor's head in his hands forcing him to look at him, "Tell me all about it, you hypocrite."

The Doctor wanted to close his eyes to stop seeing the look of pure hatred in the Master's eyes, but he knew the Master would just insist he opened them, "I'm not talking about it. I'm not."

"You don't even regret it. You're not even sorry, are you?" the Master added bitterly, glaring at the Doctor.

"I'm tired," the Doctor replied quietly "I am sorry, you can't tell me I'm not. I've never regretting anything this much, I'm sorry about so much but I'm tired. I'm tired and fed up and I wish you understood because…" he paused, closed his eyes and quickly added "because I love you."

The Master gasped quietly in shock, "I hate you…" he said before kissing him.

**8) Within Temptation's Never Ending Story**

The Master's fist made contact with the Doctor's face again, this hit causing the Doctor to fall to the ground, blood mixing with the tears than ran down his face. He didn't tried to sit up, he knew he didn't have the strength to move. The Master stepped towards him and the Doctor tensed waiting for the next load of pain to set in but it never did.

The Master sat down, cross-legged beside him, staring at him almost intrigued by the way the Doctor looked. "I hate this." He said, the Doctor turned his head slightly to try and look at him but didn't say anything. "It always ends up like this, doesn't it? No matter what happens, it always ends up like this. It's always ends up with me and you, here, together."

"Must be fate," the Doctor whispered weakly.

"Yeah." The Master agreed quietly.

**9) Skillet's Sometimes**

"It hurts, Doctor, everything hurts so damn much." The Master was sat on the bedroom floor with his arms wrapped around his knees tightly. He was tapping against his knee agitatedly.

The Doctor was sat on the edge of the bed looking down at his, scared by how he was acting, "I know, I understand."

The Master laughed maniacally "No you don't, of course you don't, you couldn't possibly. It never stops, it never goes away."

"I do," the Doctor said, softly, "I don't understand the drums, but I understand the pain. I understand what it's like for it to never go away, for it to never pause." He moved and sat beside the Master, placing his hand gently over the Master's and stopping him tapping. "That's why we need each other."

**10) Linkin Park's Burning in the Sky's**

"You really want to know about it?" the Doctor asked, gently, sitting on the ground with his back against the wall looking up at the Master who was staring down at him.

"You know I do." The Master replied, he took the Doctor's hands and pulled him to his feet, kissing him gently, "Tell me the worst of it."

"It was horrific," the Doctor wrapped his arms around the Master's waist and leaning against his head against the Master's shoulder, "The worse thing… It's impossible to even know what was the worst thing, it was all so much but I think the worse thing was the innocents. The number of people who died in horrific ways who hadn't done anything wrong. It was wrong, it made people lose hope. It… scared me."

"So you ended it?" for once there was no anger in the Master's voice.

"Yeah, so I ended it."

**A/N: I was in a Doctor/Master mood but not inspired enough to update one of my multi-chapter stories so I thought I'd used to the songs from the weekly prompts for the last 10 prompts and do drabbles. And it's fun so I might do some more of these.**


	17. I'm so sorry

**I'm So Sorry**

River stared down at the man she had believed to be the Doctor. Her right arm was raised still, pointing the gun she had shot just a few moments before, her hand shaking. She quickly realised it wasn't just her hand shaking, it was her whole body. She couldn't stop it and she didn't care. As she didn't care about the tears running down her face. All she cared about was the man in front of her. The Doctor in the life when he first met her, lying bleeding on the ground because of her. Her life's training put into action. She had shot the Doctor. He was dying. But why was he dying? It was one bullet, one simple bullet directly between his hearts. He shouldn't have been dying. Why wasn't he regenerating?

She blinked to bring herself to her senses and knelt down beside him, "Come on, it's just a bullet. Regenerate, Doctor," she whispered, her voice cracking on the last word. She took hold of his hand in both of hers gently, "Please."

"'M not him…" He replied, his voice strained through pain.

River looked at him in confusion, shock and horror, "No, you must be. You ARE him."

He weakly squeezed her hand, "The only part o' him… that hand/"

River eyes widened, realisation hitting her like a ton of bricks, "You're the meta-crisis? The human him?"

"'Sme," he agreed.

A fresh load of tears ran down River's face, following the fresh load of guilt that ran through her, "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I never meant to kill you… I was sure you were him… You'd regenerate…"

"Don't kill 'nyone. Le' 'im help you."

River sniffed and nodded, unable to talk through her tears. She was about to say _But you won't be _when she realised it was too late. He'd already stopped breathing. His heart had already stopped. She had already killed him.


	18. Lost

**Weekly Prompts ages ago had Linkin Parks 'Burning in the Skies' as the lyrics, so this is inspired from that, sort of.**

**Lost**

The only way to describe how he was feeling was broken. Something inside of him had snapped, leaving his mind a fragmented mess, leaving his hearts aching to the point where it no longer urt. He didn't cry, no dampness touched his eyes, he simply watched unblinkingly at the scene unfolding in front of him. His body was covered in cuts and bruises all of which hurt and yet nothing hurt at all.

He felt nothing at all, whatever it was that snapped and left him fragmented had created a gap in him. A gap in which all feeling, all emotion had escaped from. He had nothing, nothing at all.

The emptiness within him was reflected by the look upon his face. His thin lips were set in a straight line, there was not enough of him left to smile or to frown, the corners did not curl up or down even slightly. His deep blue eyes showed no life whatsoever.

He was not sad, for sadness was among the emotions which escaped. He was like a machine, his hearts continued to beat the natural way they always had but that was the only sign that there was life in him.

There was a safety in being broken, fragmented, there was a safety in having a gap where emotions had once been. Nothing could harm him now, nothing could hurt. What was already broken could not break again. In that he was protected, he was safe lost within himself.

He was so painfully painless, he was unsure how to live. He was unsure how to function. He was unsure how to look away from the burnt cinder which had once been his home. He was unsure about everything but there was no enough of anything in his to actually care.

He continued watching silently, unblinkingly. The twins suns were still burning brightly, the firey orange of them reflected what had happened to his planet, his home, his Gallifrey. It had stopped burning now, all that remained was the tiniest shred of burnt planet still helplessly, desperately orbiting the suns as it was all it could do, the way his hearts kept beating as it was all they could do.

He never made the conscious decision to look away from the remains of Gallifrey, the TARDIS made it for him. She closed the doors, engulfing him in the safety of what would be his home for the rest of eternity, the way a mother would embrace a crying infant.


	19. Advent Calendar 1: Snowman

**Advent Calendar Fic: Day 1: Snowman**

**This fic is likely to get me torn apart by Whovians so I'll begin my pointing out IT'S NOT WHAT I BELIEVE! It's just the way I needed to write it for the idea I had. So basically, head-canon for this fic is this: Theta's half human and he spent the first 7 and a half years of his life on Earth with his human Mum and his Dad who's like Ambassador to Earth (Gallifrey's Sarek basically), but they had to go back to Gallifrey before he was 8 for the Schism and his Mum couldn't go with, and now he missed Earth…**

**Snowman**

"Theta what the hell are you doing?" Koschei said, shivering from the cold and attempting to hug himself but knowing there was no way of really keeping himself warm wearing just his Academy robe.

There was a grin all over Theta's face as he was knelt on the ground gathering snow and clumping it together. He turned to Koschei, "I'm building a snowman," he said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Koschei stared at him, the snow was strange enough and Theta was making a _person _out of it? There were times when he really didn't understand his friend. It was freezing cold, all Koschei wanted was to get inside where there was warmth and no white stuff falling down at him. "Theta," he said.

"Don't be a spoil sport," Theta complaining, flicking snow at Koschei.

Koschei continued stared at him indignantly, seriously _what _was Theta doing? The stuff was cold and dirty and he was _playing _in it. It was so obvious Theta wasn't completely Time Lord. A true Time Lord would never be caught taking part in such an act. There were much more important things to do, a duty to be a true Time Lord, not to mess around. Still, that was one of the things Koschei liked about Theta. He was different and he didn't try to hide that. But it was still cold, "The_ta" _he whined.

Theta mock glared at him and continued with his snow-creation. So far it was one round ball of snow and Theta seemed to be working on another. Koschei watched him with a sulky expression, why couldn't Theta be unique in a way that wasn't freezing cold? Theta created another ball of snow, smaller than the first and placed it on top the first. _How was this going to be a person? _Koschei wondered, really not seeing it. Theta saw his confusion and just laughed slightly.

"You such a Gallifreyan," he told him.

Koschei rolled his eyes, "And you're good at stating the obvious."

"We did it on Earth," Theta said and his voice became slightly quieter and more reserved the way it always did when he spoke about Earth. His first home. "Plus it's fun, this planet needs to learn fun."

"No, Theta," Koschei said, smiling to show he was just trying to lighten the subject, "You need to learn that if we're not indoors in the next 30 seconds I'm going to drag you in or leave you here."

"As if you would," Theta dismissed, going back to his snow-creation – Koschei still couldn't see how it was a man. A third, even smaller ball of snow was added to the top of the creation and Theta stood up properly and looked at it. It was about half the size of him and Theta was grinning proudly at it.

"Great, great, can we go inside now?" Koschei asked.

Theta rolled his eyes, "If you help we'll be done quicker," Theta pointed out and gave a cute, sweet and innocent look causing Koschei to glare at him.

"Don't look at me like that, Theta," he moaned, kissing Theta's cheek.

Theta grinned, "I'm going to take that as agreement. We need some twigs and pebbles."

Koschei set towards finding some but every time he passed Theta either, he dismissed them and eventually Koschei gave up and left Theta and his fussiness to it. Instead he stood watching, whining constantly. Theta grabbed three rather large pebbles and placed them evenly down the centre of the middle ball of snow. He then used a collection of smaller pebbles to make eyes, nose and a mouth on the top ball, as he did so he commented on how the nose should be a carrot but Gallifrey didn't have them. Finally, after pedantically complaining he settled on two twigs which both seemed to split into two parts at one end and stuck into the side of the middle ball.

Theta stepped back from it, "There, I'm done."

Koschei grinned, "Brilliant, it's lovely, now let's go" he grabbed Theta's wrist and pulled him along as he ran towards the Academy's main entrance. Theta sulked but went with him. Once there were inside Koschei smiled, "Warmth. Oh lovely warmth," he glared at Theta. "You're evil."

"You think that's cold, try being in Scotland in the winter," Theta replied innocently.


	20. Advent Calendar 2: Christmas Shopping

**Advent Calendar: Day 2: Christmas Shopping.**

"No."

"But it'll be fun."

"No."

"I'll buy you something."

"I'm 900 years old what could you possibly buy me in one of your little ape run shops?"

"A new jumper?"

"What is wrong with this jumper?"

"Nothing, nothing at all. Just thought you'd like another one. Or a… rubber duck or… I DON'T KNOW but please?"

"No."

"This is your fault!"

"How?"

"You took me to Cardiff, to see Charles Dickens, with ghosts, at Christmas. You put me in this mood."

"Well sorry for showing you the past and introducing you to one of the greatest writers than ever lived."

"It was brilliant but seriously I want to go shopping now. Christmas shopping."

"It's not even Christmas."

"You have a Time Machine, it would always be Christmas."

"No."

"OH I WISH I COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAAAAAAY"

"Rose, no."

"WHEN THE KIDS START SINGING AND THE BAND BEGINS TO PLAAAAY"

"Rose."

"OH I WISH IT COULD BE CHRISTMAS EVERY DAY"

"Rose, if I take you Christmas shopping will you shut up?"

"SO LET THE BELLS RING OUT FOR CHRISTMAS… I mean, yes."

"Fine. Come on then."

**If you didn't work the fic out it's Rose and 9 after Unquiet Dead**


	21. Advent Calendar 3: Christmas Tree

**Advent Calendar: Day 3: Christmas Tree**

To say the Doctor hated Christmas would be too much of a sweeping statement. He didn't hate it, he just hated the way everyone was just oh-so-happy because of it. But then, even that comment wasn't fair. No, he didn't have a problem with Christmas and he didn't have a problem with people being happy. What he had a problem with was the expectation that you be happy. In a bad mood around Christmas? Oh no, what a Grinch. Don't be such a scrooge. But not everyone could be happy and bouncy all the time and he certainly couldn't.

He was glad to be alone. If he had had a companion, if he had been with anyone, he would've had to have acknowledged that in Earth time it was currently Christmas. He would've had to endure the shopping, the singing, the bloody merriness. Alone he didn't have to. Alone he could ignore that the holiday excited at all. That was fine, that was better. He could just go on as normal.

Except for the bloody Christmas tree that appeared in the console room. It was a deep green colour, and covered from tip to foot with tinsel and baubles of an assortment of colours. His first reaction when he saw it was panic, how the hell had a bloody Christmas tree got into his TARDIS console room? But his answer was given upon further inspection. The TARDIS was responsible. The TARDIS had made it appear there.

He tried to get rid of it. He hid it in a couple but by the time he got back to the console room it was there again. That time he just knocked it down and left it on the ground, only to find it back up less than an hour later. He turned and glared at the console, then grabbed the tree and pulled it to the door and once he had the door open he threw the tree out into the vortex. Once he was certain it was gone, he stormed out of the console room.

When he returned later, it was back. "Fine!" the Doctor exclaimed, "Fine. Keep your tree. See if I care."

The TARDIS seemed to make a smug murmuring sound and the Doctor rolled his eyes, sitting with his hands crossed by the console. Just a moment later came the frankly horrific sound of:

**WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS! WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR**

"No." the Doctor jumped to his feet. "Absolutely no way. Turn it off NOW."

The TARDIS refused to listen and the Doctor was forced to endure the continuous load of Christmas songs. He sat back down, "Well that's just bloody fantastic that is."


	22. Advent Calendar 4: Holly Berries

**Advent Calendar: Day 4: Holly Berries**

The Master laughed to himself, his plan was simple and yet it would be so effective. The Doctor was exactly the type of idiot who would fall for it. He carried the tray hosting two slices of pie, one made safely with cherries, the other appearing exactly the same but made with holly berries, extremely dangerous to a Time Lord's internal system. It would leave them with severe sickness, and a general run down feeling. It would leave the Doctor weak and vulnerable. It would leave the Doctor needing his Master to look after him. Perfect.

The Doctor's face lit up when he saw what the Master was bringing in and sat up properly on the sofa he had been slouched on. He put down his copy of Dickens' _A Christmas Carol _which he was reading for the umpteenth time and went to take a slice off the tray. The Master pulled the tray back out of his reach.

"Patience," the Master muttered.

"Is a good song by Take That and something I don't have," the Doctor replied simply, grabbing for the pie again.

The Master rolled his eyes and put the tray on the ground, looking other them and picking up one and passing to the Doctor. The Doctor grinned and took it off him.

"Smells good," he told him, looking over it but now actually picking up the fork to eat it. "Tell me, have you gone all domestic on me?"

"Shut up, Doctor," the Master replied simply. "You were so desperate for it so bloody well eat it."

"Yes, Master," the Doctor muttered sarcastically.

The Master glared at him for a moment, "If I get you hot chocolate to go with it will you stop being annoying?"

The Doctor nodded enthusiastically and the Master put down his own pie and left the room. The Doctor, as much as he loved the other Time Lord, didn't trust the Master. The second the Master was out of the room he swapped his uneaten slice for the Master also uneaten slice and tucked in. The Master returned a few moments later to find the Doctor eating the pie and starting at his fork like it was holding some sort of god on it.

"You like it then?" the Master said, passing him the hot chocolate and sitting down beside him, tucking in to his own slice of pie.

The Doctor nodded, unable to speak through his mouthfuls of pie. The Master laughed slightly before freezing completely. His complexion paled considerably and a moment later he ran out of the room looking rather sick. The Doctor looked somewhat smug and followed him a moment later.

Leaning on the bathroom doorframe casually, the Doctor looked at the pathetic state of the Master on the floor by the toilet, and asked, "What sort of idiot leaves the room when trying to poison someone?"

**Don't even ask, it was 3:20am and this idea demanded to be written.**


	23. Advent Calendar 5: Bells

**Advent Calendar: Day 5: Bells**

"IT'S CHRISSSSSSSSSSSSSTMAS!" the Doctor shouted, excitedly. The pair had just left Earth on Christmas Eve.

"Doctor, shut up," the Master told him. He had just about had enough Christmas to last a lifetime.

The Doctor stuck his tongue out immaturely, "Don't be such a Grinch."

"I'll be a Grinch if a bloody well want to be,"

"Don't be a Ginchhhhh," the Doctor repeated.

"Whining at me isn't going to change anything," the Master told him.

"You're so boring," the Doctor complained.

"Oh. Boring am I?" The Master raised his eyebrow and asked

"Yes. You are. Very boring," the Doctor sulked.

The Master grabbed the Doctor's arms and wrapped them around his own neck, ignoring the way the Doctor was watching him in confusing. He then scooped the Doctor into his arms, laughing at the way the Doctor yelped in shock.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor asked.

The Master smirked but otherwise didn't answer. He carried him into the bedroom before lightly dropping him onto the bed, "I'll show you boring," he told him, and leaned over him kissing him. The Doctor grinned, wrapped his arms about the Master and kissed him back, their tongues dancing over each other.

.

When the alarm bell ran through the TARDIS, the Master ignored it. His hands were locked on the Doctor's tie beginning to undo it. The Doctor whined at the sound and tried to push the Master off him. The Master smirked at him, "Didn't say you could move."

"It's an alarm bell, we're not ignoring it," the Doctor told him.

"Oh yes, we are," the Master replied, but the Doctor continued trying to get up. The Master blocked his every effort and kept him on the bed and went back to kissing him, pulling his tie off.

The alarm bell continued to explode through the TARDIS and the Doctor didn't give up trying to get up. "Who's the boring one now?" the Master complained.

"Excuse me for not wanting to ignore an alarm," the Doctor rolled his eyes, finally succeeding in pushing the Master off and getting up. The Master had got as far as undoing he's first two shirt buttons, but the Doctor took no notice. He went out into the console. "What the hell?" he exclaimed, staring at the console in disbelief.

The Master joined him, "What's the big disaster?"

"You're not going to believe this…" the Doctor said, simply. The Master raised an eyebrow, telling him to continue. He did so, "We're on a collision course…"

"With?" the Master prompted.

"Father Christmas," the Doctor said, laughing slightly.

The Master rolled his eyes, "Grow up, Doctor."

"I'm not kidding, look for yourself," the Doctor told him, and the Master joined him at the screen. The Doctor's words were confirmed by the Gallifreyan writing on the screen. The Doctor grinned, pressing a few button to get them back on a safe course before running to the door and opening it. "MASTER LOOK!" he shouted excitedly.

The Master joined him, wrapping his arms around the Doctor's waist, kissing the back of his neck, ignoring what the Doctor was excitedly pointing at. Until he saw it. A ship in the shape of a sleigh with reindeer, running through the vortex. "What the hell?" he whispered in awe.


	24. Advent Calendar 6: Christmas Carols

**Advent Calendar: Day 6: Christmas Carols**

In Earth standard time, Christmas was fast approaching. Light-years away on Gallifrey Christmas wasn't celebrating but Theta Sigma was ignoring this fact. Much to his boyfriend's dismay their joint bedroom at the Academy was covered in Christmas decorations and Theta wouldn't shut up about December 25th and how it was the 'most wonderful time of the year. Koschei didn't understand the season and in all truth he didn't really care to understand it. He couldn't see what was to great that had got Theta so excited and there was times when he just wanted to scream at Theta to stop being so damn happy about it all all the time. Sometimes he needed reminded that they were going to be Time Lords, they were not human. Time Lords did not dance around getting excited about one insignificant date like Theta was. Still, Koschei couldn't deny it was one of the things he loved about Theta. Theta wasn't the same as everyone else. He liked to have fun, he didn't strive to be one of those boring stuck up Time Lords. Sometimes though, just sometimes, it was a bit much.

_I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum _the horrifically cute sound was coming from their room and Koschei was almost too scared to go in. He had accepted the decorations, he should've known that _music _would be the next step. _That's fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum. _What the hell even was that? Some bad imitation of a drum? Koschei knew drums better than most and that was never like a drum.

The next line confirmed his suspicions_, Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, on my drum? _What the actual hell? Why would anyone want to listen to the sound of drums? There was times Koschei seriously didn't understand his boyfriend and there was no way, no way whatsoever, that he was going to put up with a song about bloody drums. He marched into their room.

"HI KOSCHEIIIIIIII" Theta exclaimed, between words while singing along. He was on his feet bouncing around the room to the song. He tried to grab Koschei's arm and make him dance with him but Koschei pulled away. Theta looked at him sadly, "Daaaance," he whined excitedly.

Koschei ignored him and walked over to the CD player. _CD Player, _for Rassilon's sake, did Theta not understand that they were on Gallifrey. They had much more advanced technology than this. He stared at it for a while, until he worked out the ridiculously primitive technology and turned it off.

"Koscheiii!" Theta whined, "Why?"

"I put up with the decorations, I put up with your constant bloody hyper mood," Koschei pointed out. "There is _no _chance you're making me put up with this."

"But Christmas music is amazing!" Theta told him. "You'd love Christmas, Kosch, you would, if you gave it a chance."

"No." Koschei said. "We're not on Earth, we don't celebrate Christmas."

"But we should, it's brilliant. It's all about-"

Koschei didn't let him get any further before telling him, "You're listening to a song about drums."

Theta went quiet, "Oh."

Koschei nodded, "Yeah. Oh."

Theta's expression fell into regret, "Koschei, I'm so sorry. It didn't mean anything… It's just a song…"

"I know," Koschei smiled, "It's fine. Just stop it, stop the music, stop being so hyper, just stop. Remember what we're on Gallifrey."

"I won't listen to that song," Theta promised, biting his lip slightly, worried.

Koschei rolled his eyes and wrapped his arms around Theta's waist, "Good. Now stop looking so worried."

Theta smiled slightly, an expression falling over his face, "but you should give Christmas a chance," he told him and Koschei groaned. "No, you should," Theta told him, "It's a beautiful season. Give it a chance."

Koschei looked at him all whinily and Theta kissed him gently, causing him to smile again, "All right, tell me about it and maybe I'll give it a chance."

Theta grinned, "Christmas is…" he started and Koschei knew now he had started he may never shut up. He was going to regret agreeing to this.

**A/N: Don't even ask, I was listening to 'Little Drummer Boy' on the bus and it made me think of Koschei, later this happened.**


	25. Advent Calendar 7: Holidays

**Advent Calendar: Day 7: Holidays**

"FREEDOM" Theta yelled excitedly when he got back to the dorm room he shared with Koschei on the last day of term.

Koschei was sat at his desk, his head buried in his homework, clearly not feeling Theta's enthusiasm. Yes, not having lectures was good. Yes, being able to go home was good, but there was a load of homework and the fact that they lived so far apart. Really there wasn't much to be screaming about in the end of term.

Theta sensed Koschei's lack of enthusiasm and pulled his chair away from the desk, ignoring Koschei's whine when his draw across the page. He grabbed Koschei's hands and pulled him to his feet, "At least look somewhat happy. We no longer have to go to lectures. Be glad!"

Koschei laughed slightly, Theta's addictive smile rubbing off on him, "You don't go half the time anyway," Koschei pointed out and Theta's smile turned innocent. "I am glad, I'm just gonna miss you," Koschei admitted, "Not that I'd ever admit to having said something soppy like that."

Theta just laughed and kissed him gently, "I'll miss you too, but we'll see each other plus IT'S CHRISTMASSS."

"And I feel the need to point out that we don't celebrate Christmas on Gallifrey," Koschei told him.

"I DON'T CARE. IT'S CHRISTMAS AND IT'S THE HOLIDAYS AND WE'RE FREE," Theta mock glared at Koschei, "DON'T RUIN MY BUBBLE."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Koschei said, he wrapped his arms around Theta's waist and pulled him closer. "But since I'm not going to see you for a while…" he moved close, his lips right by Theta's, "I ought to give you something," he kissed him quickly, "to," he kissed Theta's right cheek, "remember," then his left, "me by," then, after noting Theta's gorgeous smile, kissed him properly, feeling Theta return the kiss instantly.


	26. Advent Calendar 8: Gift

**Advent Calendar: Day 8: Gift**

"What is it?"

"Not telling you."

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"WHAT IS ITTTTTT"

Laughter.

"Getting louder and more whiny isn't going to make me tell you."

"Please?"

"And looking ridiculously cute won't either."

"What is it?"

"I'm not telling you."

"Wait… You think I'm cute?"

"Doctor."

"So you're not a completely unfeeling git?"

"Excuse me?"

"Said lovingly."

"You know it's a good thing you are cute else I'm not sure I'd give you this."

Pause.

"I'M SOWIE MASTERRRRRRRRRRR."

"So you should be. Now, do you want it?"

"Depends. What is it?"

An eye roll.

"Well if you get it and open it you'll find out."

"GIMME"

"You're such a child."

"IT'S CHRISTMAS I CAN BE A CHILD IF I WANT TOOOOOOOO."

"A child can't use what I've got you."

"…What is it?"

"Find out for yourself."

The sound of ripping paper.

"…What the hell am I supposed to do with that?"

"You'll think of something."

A wink.

The sound of the penny dropping.

"Oooooh."

**A/N: I shouldn't be allowed to write when I don't have ideas and I just go with it. I have no idea what the gift was, your imaginations can fill in that blank ;)**


	27. Advent Calendar 9: Mistletoe

**Advent Calendar: Day 9: Mistletoe**

There was mistletoe all over the TARDIS. Martha had put it in every doorway that she knew the Doctor was likely to go past. She was standing at the door separating the console from the rest of the TARDIS, having just fixed a piece above there, the last piece.

The Doctor came through and looked at it, "…Mistletoe…" he commented and shrugged, before turning and kissing her cheek, "Don't say I'm not one for tradition," he told her with a cheeky smile and continued into the console room.

Martha just sighed. How blind could someone be?


	28. Advent Calendar 10: Party

**Advent Calendar: Day 10: Party**

Theta had spent the best part of a week sulking. In standard time it was coming up to Christmas but Koschei and other friends of his were refusing to listen or show any interest in the season. They weren't human, they didn't care about the season of good will to all men. Theta did. When it had got to the point where one of his friends snapped at him to shut the hell up about Christmas, Theta had done, but he had made it perfectly clear then that he wasn't happy about it.

On what would've been Christmas Eve if they were on Earth, Theta was heading back to the dorm he shared with Koschei after his last lecture of the day, when he heard the undeniable sound of Christmas music. Confusion set in and he rushed to the room. Koschei was stood waiting for him, grinning nervously, along with a couple other of their friend. Theta smiled back a little suspiciously.

"You want Christmas," Koschei said, rolling his eyes slightly, "We'll give you a Christmas party."

Theta grinned, walked over and wrapped his arms around Koschei and kissed him.

Their friends rolled their eyes and one muttered, "You know we can leave if you want to make this a party for two."

Theta smiled at him, "Is that an option?" and his friends only response was to throw a pillow at him.


	29. Advent Calendar 11: Christmas Dinner

**A/N: Technically this is SJA but you know, it's in the Whoniverse**

**Advent Calendar: Day 11: Christmas Dinner**

**13 Bannerman Road**

"Mum what's that smell?" Luke shouted, rushing out to the kitchen to find Sarah Jane bent down by the oven, with the door open and smoke surrounding whatever was inside the oven. "Mum?" he said with concern.

Sarah Jane lifted a baking tin out of the oven and placed on top the oven, revealing to Luke a very burnt turkey. She turned to him, her expression lost hysterically somewhere between laughing and crying. "I burnt the turkey," she told him with a choke-y laugh.

"I can see that…" Luke told her as she took off the oven glove and slammed it on the worktop.

"I wanted it to be perfect," she told him, sighing. She loved Luke and she knew he didn't understand Christmas yet, and that was why she had wanted to do everything properly.

**Across the road**

"Dad?" Maria exclaimed, "How much have you cooked?"

Alan smiled at her, "There's a reason." He told her.

"For cooking at least twice what we need?" Maria asked, "This ought to be good."

"You'll like it," Alan said. "What are the betting's that right now Sarah Jane's just discovered that the turkey isn't properly defrosted or has burnt or something."

Maria looked at his suspiciously. She knew Sarah Jane was a terrible cook from the times she had been over there at meal times, but she couldn't quite see where this was going.

"And really everyone deserves a decent Christmas dinner," Alan continue, and Maria caught on and grinned. "Go and see if they want to join us?"

Maria grinned and got up.

**13 Bannerman Road**

_Knockknock_

"Who's that?" Sarah Jane asked, her voice stressed, still trying to work out what to do about the turkey. "Who calls on Christmas Day?"

Luke left her to it and went to answer the door, "Hello Maria," he said, smiling when he saw her.

"Sarah Jane ruined dinner right?" Maria said, hearing Sarah Jane's annoyed mutterings in the background. Luke nodded and Maria stepped in, going straight to the kitchen. "Panic not," she told Sarah Jane.

Sarah Jane looked at her, "Oh Maria, it's you."

"Dad's a psychic, he saw this coming. He said you and Luke can join us for dinner," Maria said.

In that moment Sarah Jane looked so happy Maria and Luke both thought she was going to cry. She pulled Maria into a hug, "Your Dad is a life safer."

**Across the road**

It was better than Sarah Jane had hoped. It was better than she thought her Christmas would be again. She had spent so many Christmases alone, and now she was not only with her son, but her neighbours and friends. "See, Luke," she told him, "_this _is what Christmas is really about."


	30. Advent Calendar 12: Turkey

**Advent Calendar: Day 12: Turkey**

"I'm going vegetarian," the Doctor announced, when on earth with Martha a week before Christmas.

"I'm sorry, what?" Martha asked, glaring at him. The Doctor well knew she had been planning to make a nice Christmas lunch for the two of them _and _she had got as fair as shopping for the food, including a turkey that wouldn't be too too much for the two of them.

"I am going vegetarian," the Doctor repeated carefully, rolling his eyes like Martha was slow.

"No. No you're not," Martha told him.

"I'm a 900 year old Time Lord and you're a 20 something year old human, you can't tell me what I can and can't do," the Doctor said and pouted.

"You look more like a 6 year old when you do that," Martha told him, looking at him with her hands on her hips. "Why, might I ask, do you want to become a vegetarian?"

"I was thinking about the poor turkeys," the Doctor told her.

"The… poor… turkeys…" Martha repeated. The 6 year old comment seemed more and more fitting the more the Doctor spoke. She wondered if this was an effect of living so long and she was glad she was human and not a Time Lord.

"Yes!" the Doctor said as though she was missing something obvious. "Imagine, all your life you've been growing up happy, with Mummy turkey and Daddy turkey and little sibling turkeys and then suddenly it's bye bye life and hello Christmas dinner."

Martha stared at him trying to work out if he was actually serious. She decided he was but had no chance to comment before he exclaimed 'THINK OF THE TURKEYS MARTHA! THINK OF THE TURKEY."

"How do you know that that turkey didn't hate it's life and killing it to eat actually put it out of it's misery?" Martha suggested and the Doctor's look made her wonder if she'd grown another head.

"Martha Jones," the Doctor whined, "I am a vegetarian from now on whether you like it or not."

"Fine," Martha said, "I'll just cook Christmas dinner for myself then. You can do without the turkey and the gorgeous sausages wrapped in bacon."

The Doctor looked at her, "Yes. I will," he said stubbornly.

**One Week Later**

"Martha?" the Doctor said, avoiding her gaze. "I changed my mind, I want turkey."

Martha rolled her eyes, "Yeah that's what I thought."


End file.
